Nouvelair compensation: €250 or €400 for flights to Tunisia
Nouvelair Tunisie is a privately owned Tunisian airline flying holidaymakers and families from Europe to Tunis, Monastir and Djerba, with its busiest season in summer. More than 200 passengers have already opened a Nouvelair claim with us, over 350 travellers once companions are counted, and London Gatwick is one of the airports we see most. If your outbound flight reached Tunisia 3 hours late, or was cancelled at short notice, you may be owed €250 or €400 each.
Nouvelair is headquartered in Monastir and operates under a Tunisian licence, so under EU law it is a non-EU carrier. Regulation (EC) 261/2004 therefore protects you on the way out only, on flights taking off from the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland. Departures from the UK are covered by the British version of the rules. Flights home from Tunisia are not covered by either.
Late outbound flight
Your flight from Europe opens its doors in Tunis, Monastir or Djerba three hours or more after schedule.
3 hours or moreCancelled flight
The outbound flight was scrapped and you found out less than a fortnight before departure.
Late noticeBumped
You were at the gate on time with a valid ticket, but were left behind because the plane was full.
Due straight awayNo payout
On return flights from Tunisia, and when the cause lies outside the airline's control, such as a French air traffic control strike.
Return leg or outside causeWant a quick answer? Enter the airports and the date and you will know in two minutes. Check your Nouvelair flight.
What Nouvelair pays: sample routes
What you paid for the ticket or the package holiday is irrelevant. The amount depends only on the distance between the departure and arrival airports.
| Nouvelair route | Distance | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Milan–Tunis | About 980 km | €250 |
| Paris–Monastir | Over 1,600 km | €400 |
| Porto–Djerba | Almost 1,900 km | €400 |
| London Gatwick–Tunis | UK rules, paid in pounds | UK261 |
| Tunis–London (return) | Not covered: departs from Tunisia | — |
Every person on the booking gets their own payment, and a child with their own seat counts like an adult. A family of five on a Porto–Djerba flight that landed four hours late could claim €2,000.
Nouvelair flight delayed: what to do
Delays dominate: they account for more than 8 in 10 of the Nouvelair cases we handle. The airline flies a compact fleet of around sixteen Airbus A320s, so a hold-up on a morning rotation often ripples into the afternoon departures. To protect your claim:
- Keep your boarding pass, on paper or as a PDF, to prove you flew.
- Ask for the reason in writing at the Nouvelair desk or from the tour operator that sold you the holiday.
- Note when the doors open in Tunis, Monastir or Djerba.
- Keep receipts for anything you buy while waiting, and turn down discount vouchers offered instead of cash.
- Photograph the departures board showing the delayed time.
Care at the airport
On flights leaving Europe, Nouvelair must provide meals and drinks and, if departure slips overnight, a hotel and transport to it.
| Distance | Care from |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km (e.g. Milan–Tunis) | 2 hours |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km (e.g. Paris–Monastir) | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km | 4 hours |
| Delay of 5 hours or more | You may cancel the trip and get your money back |
Onward connections
Where one booking included a Nouvelair flight plus a connection, the delay is measured at the final destination. With separately bought tickets, each flight is judged on its own. See our page on Nouvelair delay compensation.
Cancelled Nouvelair flight: your rights
About one in 10 Nouvelair claims we see involves a cancellation, often just before the summer peak.
Choose between your money back and another flight to Tunisia, as soon as possible or on a date that suits you.
Added on top if a flight departing Europe was cancelled less than 14 days beforehand.
| Notice given | Outcome |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | No compensation, but a refund or new flight |
| 7 to 13 days | Compensation due, unless the new flight leaves no more than 2 hours earlier and lands under 4 hours late |
| Under 7 days | Compensation due, unless the new flight leaves no more than 1 hour earlier and lands under 2 hours late |
Times changed by your tour operator. If your Nouvelair flight was moved by several hours shortly before departure, the EU Court of Justice may treat it as a cancellation. More on our page about Nouvelair cancellation compensation.
Nouvelair overbooking: when the plane is full
Around 5 in 100 Nouvelair claims we receive stem from denied boarding, mainly on the most popular summer flights. If you had a confirmed seat and turned up on time, compensation is owed immediately, along with a replacement flight.
It is a different matter if you were turned away because your passport had expired or check-in had closed. Full details in our guide to Nouvelair overbooking and denied boarding.
Strikes affecting Nouvelair
Many Nouvelair flights from northern Europe cross French airspace, where air traffic control strikes are not unusual. That counts as an extraordinary circumstance, so no compensation, though care and refund rights remain. If Nouvelair's own pilots or crew strike, the airline has to pay, as the EU Court of Justice ruled in case C-28/20.
Nouvelair said no? Common replies
Nouvelair's replies to claims often cite operational reasons.
When a few aircraft fly many sectors a day, built-up delay is an organisational risk for the airline, not an outside event.
Maintenance is part of the carrier's ordinary work, so a fault alone does not rule out compensation.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07Weather can be extraordinary, but only if it genuinely stopped the flight at that time. We check it against airport records.
Nouvelair flights in a package holiday or charter
Many passengers fly Nouvelair as part of a package from a tour operator. That changes nothing: compensation for delay, cancellation or overbooking is owed by the operating airline, Nouvelair, not by the travel agent. The flight number with the BJ code and your booking confirmation are enough. Remember the limit that applies to non-EU airlines:
- covered: departures from France, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Portugal and the rest of the EU
- covered under UK rules: departures from London Gatwick and other UK airports
- not covered: return flights from Tunis, Monastir and Djerba
Making a claim against Nouvelair
You can contact Nouvelair yourself through the channels on its official website, attaching your booking and boarding pass.
It is free, but you are dealing with an airline based in Tunisia and chasing replies yourself. After a refusal you can turn to the national enforcement body of the country your flight left from (the CAA for UK departures), or to the courts.
A few minutes and an online signature. We handle the claim, the formal demand and any court case with our own lawyers. If we win we keep 25% + VAT; if not you pay nothing, and legal costs stay with us even if the case is lost.
Already refused?
Forward us Nouvelair's reply: if the reason does not stand up, we restart the case with a formal demand.
Useful documents
- Flight or holiday confirmationShowing the Nouvelair flight number.
- IDPassport or ID card for each passenger.
- Messages receivedTexts, emails or tour operator notices about the delay or cancellation.
How long you have
The deadline is set by each country's law, not by the Regulation, as the EU Court of Justice confirmed (case C-139/11). Even a Tunisian holiday from a few years ago may still be claimable: check using the flight date.
When Nouvelair pays out
If Nouvelair accepts the claim, the money usually arrives within a few weeks. If it refuses and a formal demand or court case is needed, allow a few months. We keep you posted and, once payment arrives, transfer your share: €173.75 from €250, €278 from €400.
Delayed or damaged luggage with Nouvelair
Bags are covered by the Montreal Convention, not Regulation 261. If your suitcase does not turn up in Djerba or Monastir, file a PIR at the baggage desk before leaving the airport, then write to Nouvelair within 7 days for damage, or within 21 days of delivery for a delay.
Nouvelair contacts and flight tracking
- Head office
- Nouvelair Tunisie, Dkhila tourist zone, Monastir, Tunisia
- Bases
- Monastir, Tunis-Carthage and Djerba-Zarzis airports
- Complaints
- Contact channels on nouvelair.com
- Flight tracking
- "Suivre nos vols" section of the official website
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